links for 2010-12-14

"Rhettmatic also addressed difficulties arising within his community, not just outside of it. "If you go into the Asian scenes, they're really into Hip Hop, but sometimes, they just don't go beyond that. For Filipinos…we were known for being good imitators, but never good originators… In order to get respect, you had to break out of that bubble and go into that 'hardcore' scene. You can be popular in that scene, but that doesn't mean nothing if you don't really branch out. It was even kinda crazy… I even got hated on by my own people, saying, 'What are you doing, you trying to be black? What are you, a fligger?'"

"Back in 2008, I started a discussion about what I saw as a distinct lack of racial/cultural diversity among offbeat brides. As I said then: "I see a bazillion tattooed white women, but very very few black hippie brides, goth asian brides, steampunk latina brides, rockabilly native american brides, etc."

Based on reader feedback that it was "hard to find any weddings of people of color," we started tagging posts that featured offbeat couples of color to make them easier to find. Tagging is how we make all sorts of things on the site easier to find — Kansas weddings, brides in glasses, grooms with long hair. We wanted to make it easier for readers who were frustrated by the experience of feeling like they only saw white couples across wedding planning websites. [...] But recently we've started getting feedback from current readers that they find the tag misguided tokenism at best; racism at worst."

"Of her Conde Nast compatriots, [Vogue Italia Editor] Sozzani is closest to [American Vogue Editor] Wintour. The two have become friends over the years, and Wintour notes, quite simply, that "Franca is magnificent." They have worked together on the global orgy of shopping, Fashion's Night Out, as well as on finding ways to support young designers. In their tete-a-tetes, diversity on the runway is a topic that regularly comes up.

"Right now, it seems as though we are experiencing a wave of Asian models, and while there is certainly a strong African American presence with Joan Smalls, Jourdan Dunn and Chanel Iman, sadly we don't see as many African American models as we could," Wintour says."

"Economists often measure mobility by dividing the population into five income tiers. Each column of this chart reflects the percentage of kids born into that income tier who, as adults, fell to the bottom income tier. So in 2008, 45 percent of African Americans who were born into the middle class, measured by income, were living at the bottom income level as adults. That was true for only 16 percent of whites born into the middle class. Meanwhile, over half of black people who were born into poverty remained there as adults, while about two-thirds of whites had moved up the income ladder. The point is plain: economic mobility is not the same for everybody in America, and to the degree we can talk about a genuine black middle class, it’s not a terribly secure one."

"I’ll also be honest – the response to people like this (the comments are slightly overwhelming) also make me wonder why people apply the 'luxury' title to things like 'fruits and vegetables.' Having the time to cook is a 'luxury.' Do we never question why these things are so 'luxurious' as opposed to common place? We complain about and assume food stamp recipients are the dredges of society, all fat and miserable (and Black welfare queens) and eating up all the cheetos… but we’re angry as hell – collectively – when they prioritize health and wellness (and preservation of both) above all else? When they use the little bit of money they’ve got wisely? (Or are they?) Would we feel better about paying into a system that takes care of others if and only if they still appeared to be doing worse than we are? Is that element of superiority required here? That we feel superior to food stamp recipients?"

"This works where so many other attempts at blackface have failed because Fey’s not using blackface as a simplistic visual way of turning a white person Black but as a complex tool that makes a multi-layered joke at the character’s expense. Jenna is a dimwit and the audience knows that for her to think blackening up is ok adds to the perception that she’s simpleminded. (Fey also buys herself space because on a previous episode, the first time Jenna went into blackface, Tina’s Liz Lemon clearly indicated she knew that was a bad idea so in that way the show was sortof ombudsmanning itself.)"

Race, Culture, and Identity in a Colorstruck World

About This Blog

Racialicious is a blog about the intersection of race and pop culture. Check out our daily updates on the latest celebrity gaffes, our no-holds-barred critique of questionable media representations, and of course, the inevitable Keanu Reeves John Cho newsflashes.

Latoya Peterson (DC) is the Owner and Editor (not the Founder!) of Racialicious, Arturo García (San Diego) is the Managing Editor, Andrea Plaid (NYC) is the Associate Editor. You can email us at team@racialicious.com.